ADAC Reveals Diesel Cars with Lowest and Highest NOx Emissions

The latest EcoTest results published by the ADAC – Europe’s largest motoring club – confirm that majority of modern diesel cars emit significantly more toxic nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution than officially permitted.

Nitrogen oxide is a harmful pollutant that is often blamed for damaging the environment and has also been proven to have serious health implications.

Under the current Euro 6 standard, the maximum level for NOx in diesel vehicles is 80mg/km.

“The ADAC EcoTest shows that virtually all manufacturers have a massive emission problem with their diesel engines” said Thomas Burkhardt, ADAC Vice President of Technology. Out of the 188 tested vehicles, only 6 met the official legal limit of 80mg of nitrogen oxide per kilometre.

The ADAC then averaged their test results for each manufacturer group. The vehicles with the lowest NOx emissions came from BMW (including Mini), followed closely by Volkswagen (VW, Audi, Skoda, Seat) and Mercedes-Benz. The most NOx polluting vehicles came from Renault/Dacia.

The vehicles with the lowest NOx emissions came from BMW (including Mini), followed closely by Volkswagen (VW, Audi, Skoda, Seat) and Mercedes-Benz. The most NOx polluting vehicles came from Renault/Dacia. On average, Renault/Dacia vehicles emit around four times more nitrogen oxide than BMW/Mini, 141mg/km vs 684mg/km.